DÉSIRS ABSTRAITS

Never one to be reluctant to display her sexuality, Laven is known for her evocative and beautifully staged shots. Her sets, which vary from very dreamy, antiquey English bedrooms to something striking and straight out of Scarface, can give you the impression that you're looking at a very naughty photo that your grandmother might have taken for a lover when she was young and hot.

The photographer, who's expatriated from the US South to the perhaps less conservative Paris, describes "DÉSIRS ABSTRAITS" as "an exploration into one woman’s sexual psyche through the isolated and abstract depths of her mind." The result of this exploration is a collection of racy Polaroids that focus in on particular body parts using props and a very strict palette.

Read on to see what Madame Ette has to say about the brand new book, and the depths of her unapologetic sexuality.

When did you decide to start taking erotic self portraits?

I got into photography when I was in London at my friend's aunt's place. It was a beautiful property with nothing to do. She had a DSLR and we decided to dress up and shoot each other. It was a love affair ever since. As I developed my style and found the kind of art that I had an affinity towards, the more it naturally went in an erotic direction. Being an introverted control freak it was just easier to shoot myself, but more recently I've been shooting other people and prefer it in a lot of ways. This way I have more control over the camera, more flexibility with angles. I get to see the full scene and a different subject brings a new dimension to my work. It's also a guessing game when you are trying to focus on a subject that isn't in front of the camera, so a lot of self portraits come out out of focus.

Was there ever any hesitation in putting those images out in public venues like Instagram?

Not a single hesitation.

Have you always been so comfortable with your sexuality?

I have always been a pretty assertive and self-assured person in general, so as my sexuality developed slowly and organically, my comfortability with it did as well. My work isn't just about sexuality, but more my intrigue and fascination with it. It's always been the films I like to watch by directors like Just Jaeckin and Tinto Brass, the books I like to read by writers like Anais Nin, Xaviera Hollander and Anne Desclos and the photographers that inspire me — Claus Wickrath, Irina Ionesco, Claude Cahun, Guy Bourdin and Helmet Newton.

What do you think western civilization could improve upon in terms of how they view sex?

I could go on a tangent here, but in short, they could improve on their acceptance of the naked body in general and not have such a fear and disdain for something we all have. Also, they could improve on being less concerned about what consenting adults choose to do if they aren't hurting anyone.

Do you feel freer or more constrained in Paris?

I really don't think I have enough knowledge on this topic to really give a solid answer but if need be here it is. I think Parisians are definitely more comfortable with nudity and the human body in general. I would say their films and art have always explored sexuality more than the US, but on a day-to-day experience, I actually find them more conservative than I assumed. Also, I think I've always liked to feel a little displaced. So, while being in Paris/Europe is still quite new, it feels very freeing.

Tell me about this book. How did it come about?

Well, Mike Krim — of Paper Work NYC, who published the book — and I were talking about making some stuff together because he liked my work. He wanted something new and fresh. I was happy to challenge myself and make something quite different from my usual direction, which has been more soft and dreamy on 35mm. I also wanted to take advantage of this discontinued film (fp100c) still being somewhat affordable. Something about Polaroids seems more intimate, amateur and spontaneous.

What's the book about?

I really don't like telling people how they should absorb my work, but vaguely it is about one woman's unusual closeted fantasies and day dreams that she is slowly embracing and feeling more powerful by allowing herself to do so. I wanted this to feel like you are really seeing someone's weird fantasies that they didn't necessarily want to be seen by others. I also had been collecting some strange vintage erotic books at the time that I pulled inspiration from.

Boy Camp

April 23, 2019

The fancy boy queens of James Bidgood have arrived at the Museum of Sex, and in full regalia. Glittery Adonises float and pose in meticulously executed primeval settings, the figures always seeming as if caught off-guard or lost in a daydream. Appropriate, since their surroundings are the physical embodiment of Bidgood’s conflated fantasies — sexually charged men that exude an extravagant fabulousness reserved only for film starlets of the era.

Such utopian imagery found its home in print in the strangest of publications: “health and fitness” magazines of the 60s, predominately in the marvelously-named “Muscleboy,” which was essentially veiled gay porn — full-frontal nudity was still illegal at the time.

The restraint seems to have been one that Bidgood thrived on, dabbling as he did in the worlds of drag, hustling, and pornography; elements from these not-so-different realms combine to form a surprisingly tasteful (albeit titillating) body of work.

Such euphemistic magazines as those Bidgood contributed to aren’t so antiquated, actually — in the periodical section of Wal-mart some years ago, I stumbled upon and ended up amassing a small collection of a now out-of-print magazine called “Exercise For Men Only” that was essentially a modern equivalent of “Muscleboy.” It didn’t contain anything nearly as fanciful as Bidgood’s dreamlike layouts, but comparing the two is essentially a study in the evolution of the self-perception of gay men. Bidgood’s fuchsia wonderland bathed in glitter and gold is a world apart from the straightforward beefcakes “demonstrating” workout routines in “Exercise For Men Only.” Somehow, in a time that was ostensibly more repressive toward homosexuality, the expressive joy of the 60s seems to have been at a majestic zenith, the self-perception of queerness, at least in Bidgood's case, fully embracing prettiness, daintiness, fairy-ness, which, if we are to use "Exercise For Men Only" as example, seems to have been siphoned out of the gay community in the past 50 years in favor of machismo.

Whether it's machismo or effeminate eleganza, however, what is at play is the power of camp — the over-the-top bliss in corny extravagance, the unashamed sentimentality connected to an unreasonably idyllic state of being that makes the imagery at once cringe- and sigh-worthy. James Bidgood’s work is the femme answer to Tom of Finland, the softer side of the same coin. Both are camp at its absolute best, where it crosses into the lofty realm of art. Both art and camp contain a similar loftiness: the embodiment of an ideal at its most extreme, taken to heights previously unimaginable.

'James Bidgood: Reveries' will be on view through September 8th, 2019. All images courtesy of The Museum of Sex. Full color images courtesy of ClampArt New York. Ephemera images courtesy of Kelly McKaig. Lead Image: 'Blue Boy.'

The Color is Black, The Material is Leather

April 05, 2019

"The color is black, the material is leather, the seduction is beauty, the justification is honesty, the aim is ecstasy, the fantasy is death."

I'm obsessed with this quote, which is from Susan Sontag's famous essay on BDSM, one of the first serious literary forays into the underworld of kinky sexual exploration. The Black Party started 30 years ago, around the time that Sontag's essay first appeared, and the tradition continues today. Well, tomorrow, to be precise. The party will be all night Saturday until noon on Sunday: a circuit party for those who can never get enough.

This year, the iconic gay sex/dance/leather blowout will be taking place in the Bronx. I'm personally acquainted with Rify Royalty - we met on the street and I would later perform bearded drag at his genderfuck party known as 'Straight Acting' in Brooklyn - who is the cover boy for this year's iteration of the legendary and historical party. Rify is a rising star in nightlife, a gogo boy with abs of steel who never shies away from combining his male attributes with femme glam: a beguiling choice as the face of The Black Party.

I spoke with Rify about party, which he's been attending for six years, which is, in fact, as long as he's been working nightlife. "People make an entire weekend of it," he said, "They come from all over the world. There's dancing, sex, performances involving sex. It's a blast." There was a hint of regret in Rify's voice as we talked about the party: while he is the cover boy for the event, he ironically will be unable to attend, a victim of his own success - he had already arranged to produce his own party in Miami for Miami Pride this weekend before The Black Party had announced its dates. Still, it's hard to regret a trip to Miami. "They have their pride pretty early," Rify said, "Most prides happen in the summer, but in Miami it's just too hot. It's 80 degrees there right now."

While Rify will be enjoying the Miami heat, those who flock to New York once a year for The Black Party will be bumping the night away. "There's a very strict dress code," Rify added, "harnesses, leather, jockstraps, the works." Lots of skin, in other words, and plenty of leather. It's a veritable Garden of Earthly Delights, where pleasure and pain coalesce on the dance floor for an eye-popping spectacle that could only exist in the realms of the night.

When I asked Rify for any last words on The Black Party, he quipped: "Get tested afterward." I laughed, the advice was more than apt. "But make good choices, and be safe," he added for good measure. Sage words.

Below are selects from last year's party. Hope you're ready to gag.

The Black Party begins Saturday, April 6th. Be safe, make good choices, see you there.

24 Candles

March 23, 2019

Leila, Leila, Leila, where do we even begin …

As a model, artist, and musician, there’s not much left for Ms. Spilman to conquer and yet she keeps inching up that mountain. Depth, tough skin, and a genuine desire to help those who can’t always help themselves are but few of the qualities she’s consummated through her foster-living years and her time in the creative industry. For these reasons, among others--including her bangin’ backside--we’re proud to present our tenth and final cover, Leila ft. a tastefully, wax-covered rump.

As a gift for Leila Spilman's birthday, Torbjørn Rødland photographed her and her friends wearing clothing Spilman made under her own unestablished label LSCO. Also included are a Thom Browne jacket and Saint Laurent dress.